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Find the official policies that govern our student and academic community.
A joint degree program (JDP) is a specified combination of degree programs or degree types in which a student is enrolled in two graduate degree programs concurrently. JDPs are developed and proposed by the relevant academic units with agreement of the deans of the schools affected.
An approved JDP includes a set of agreements between the participating programs and schools about matters such as admissions, advising, curricula, and tuition. In a JDP, a specified number of units may be applied (double-counted) toward the minimum university residency requirements for both degrees, reducing the total number of residency units required to complete both degrees.
Students pursuing a joint degree that includes a PhD may not also count a Stanford master’s degree or transfer units towards residency for the PhD degree. Application deadlines for each program or degree apply. Students must be admitted to the JDP no later than the study list deadline of the term prior to the term of expected degree conferral. In a JDP, both degrees are conferred concurrently since the units required for each degree are linked to the completion of both degrees. The sole exception is the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, which may be awarded prior to its paired degree.
The following joint degree programs, permitting students to complete requirements for two degrees with a reduced number of total residency units, are offered:
(LAW-JD) Juris Doctor with a:
Master of Arts (JD/MA) in:
Economics, Education, History, Philosophy, Public Policy, International Policy, or Stanford Global Studies (East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, or Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies)
Master of Science (JD/MS) in Bioengineering, Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environment and Resources, Epidemiology, Health Policy, Management Science and Engineering, or Symbolic Systems
Master of Public Policy (JD/MPP)
Doctor of Philosophy (JD/PhD) in Bioengineering, Communication, Comparative Literature, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environment and Resources, History, Management Science and Engineering, Modern Thought & Literature, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology; or Graduate School of Business PhD.
Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA)
(GSB-MBA) Master of Business Administration with:
Master of Arts in Education (MBA/MA)
Master of Science (MBA/MS) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Environment & Resources
Master of Public Policy (MBA/MPP)
(MPP-MPP) Master of Public Policy with:
Master of Arts in Education, or International Policy (MPP/MA)
Master of Science in Management Science & Engineering (MPP/MS)
Doctor of Philosophy (MPP/PhD) in Economics, Education, Oceans, Psychology, Sociology, or Structural Biology
(MED-MD) Doctor of Medicine with:
Juris Doctor (MD/JD)
Master of Public Policy (MD/MPP)
Each joint degree program has a pre-approved unit minimum to complete both constituent degrees. Specific unit requirements for the joint degree programs are documented under University Graduate Residency Requirements opens in a new tab, and individual schools should be consulted for additional information.
Application deadlines of each program or degree apply. Application decisions and admissions procedures for a Joint Degree Program are managed by the participating degree programs, and may specify earlier deadlines. Each JDP determines the allowable sequence and timing of applications and admissions to their respective program.
To enter a joint degree program, a student must be admitted independently to both participating Stanford degree programs as well as to the particular joint degree program. Students must be admitted to the JDP no later than the study list deadline of the term prior to the term of expected degree conferral.
Students already pursuing a graduate degree at Stanford apply to the second degree program (and JDP) either through the professional school admissions process, including applicable fees, to add the J.D., or M.B.A.; or through the degree authorization process to add the MS, MA, MPP, or PhD.
Some JDPs permit concurrent application for admission to both programs at the time of the initial application for admission to Stanford. In this case, students must indicate this at the time of application.
Students should consult with faculty and staff in both degree programs to plan their course enrollment and to ensure that coursework is transcripted on the appropriate academic career to satisfy all degree requirements. All university requirements for each constituent degree, such as time limits for degree completion and timing of milestones, must be met.
No transfer of courses from one career (transcript) to another is permitted.
When a joint degree program is completed, two separate diplomas are issued – one for each of the constituent degrees.
Joint degree programs are not eligible for inclusion of graduate residency transfer credit toward the JDP residency requirement. Please review University Graduate Residency Requirements opens in a new tab for more information
Students may voluntarily withdraw from both degree programs in a JDP, and thus withdraw from graduate studies at Stanford. Alternatively, a student may withdraw from only one of the two programs; in this case, the student’s obligations revert to the academic and residency requirements for the remaining degree. Tuition is charged at the tuition rate for the degree program in which the student remains enrolled. For further information regarding voluntary withdrawal, please see Separation from the University, or Graduate Program Changes.
Each Joint Degree Program (JDP) that is composed of degree plans in two different schools has a pre-approved tuition agreement detailing which program’s tuition rate is billed at a given point in a student’s career. JDP tuition agreements are determined by the Graduate School of Business, School of Law, and School of Medicine, and provided to the Office of the Registrar to ensure that correct charges are applied each quarter.
Creation of additional joint degree programs that are combinations of JD/MA, JD/MS, and PhD/MPP degrees have been authorized by the Faculty Senate. New JDPs from among these combinations may double-count up to 45 units towards residency requirements. JDPs from these combinations are proposed by the coordinating programs and schools.
Once approvals from the chairs of the programs and deans of the relevant schools are obtained, approval on behalf of the Committee on Graduate Studies is granted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, and final approval is granted by the Office of the University Registrar.
JDPs combining the JD and PhD degrees that allow up to the 54-unit reduction of the residency requirement for both degrees separately, following the model of previously approved joint JD/PhDs listed above, can be approved by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and final approval is granted by the Office of the University Registrar.
JDPs combining other degree types or programs may be proposed but require review by the Faculty Senate Committee on Graduate Studies and must be approved by the Faculty Senate.
For each Stanford advanced degree, there is an approved course of study that meets university and department requirements. The University's general requirements, applicable to all graduate degrees at Stanford, are described below.
Once per quarter, continuing graduate students may submit a Graduate Program Authorization Petition in Axess to request additions or changes to their graduate program, rather than applying through Graduate Admissions.
Details university requirements for master’s degrees.
Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a judgment by the faculty of the student’s degree program on the potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program.
